Naperville #3 best city in America/Money magazine (Chicago, Springfield: real estate, smog)

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

But there's also the idea that Naperville doesn't offer anything particularly unique, and the same ammenities can be found elsewhere for less money.

Kinda, sorta. Naperville has many unique things about it that cant be found in most suburbs, and no suburb has near the downtown livliness that Naperville possesses.

[Buckner Fan]

In previous posts on Naperville, one person described it as one of those winter holiday crystal balls depicting a city scene right after you had rapidly shaken the ball (with tons of snow flurrying about) - I thought that was perfect.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

I'm a professional in my thirties with a family, and know MANY other professionals in their thirties with children. But for some reason, none of them live in Naperville or have any plans to move there. The people I know who are moving to the suburbs aren't even considering Naperville, and it's not an issue of affordability. I know several people who grew up in Naperville, but I don't know anyone who is going back. Why is this? What's up with the Naperville backlash among Generation X and Y?

Naperville is not unaffordable. Can you live in a 5,000 square foot house near the Riverwalk on a layman's salary? No, but Naperville is very big, and there's plenty of housing to be had there which would be doable for a middle class family.

I too am a 30-something and wouldn't live there. Don't know if I'd call that "backlash," I just prefer a more city-esque atmosphere with vintage housing stock, diversity, walkability, parks, proximity to the City and all that stuff. There may be some resentment against it because it's "whitebread," suburban and maybe conformistic to some from afar (i.e. this is where you should live if you're X type of person)? I don't know. I don't know anyone who lives there, I don't hang out there, and I don't feel that way myself. It's just a personal choice is all.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by BRU67

Naperville is not unaffordable. Can you live in a 5,000 square foot house near the Riverwalk on a layman's salary? No, but Naperville is very big, and there's plenty of housing to be had there which would be doable for a middle class family.

Affordability is all relative. I guess I'm just pointing out that other suburbs in the proximity of Naperville are MORE affordable.

Originally Posted by BRU67

I too am a 30-something and wouldn't live there. Don't know if I'd call that "backlash," I just prefer a more city-esque atmosphere with vintage housing stock, diversity, walkability, parks, proximity to the City and all that stuff.

I'm with you there 100%. That's why I don't want to live in Naperville myself. But I have friends who love the suburban lifestyle who are still rejecting Naperville, and I can't figure out why. They'll list a dozen other cookie-cutter suburbs that are similar to Naperville, but leave Naperville itself off the list.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Kinda, sorta. Naperville has many unique things about it that cant be found in most suburbs, and no suburb has near the downtown livliness that Naperville possesses.

Yeah, I agree with you there. But that's just a small portion of Naperville. Most of Naperville is indistinguishable from other sprawl suburbs. And if I needed to get in my car to enjoy the downtown anyway, I can think of other places I'd rather go in the metro area.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Yeah, I agree with you there. But that's just a small portion of Naperville. Most of Naperville is indistinguishable from other sprawl suburbs. And if I needed to get in my car to enjoy the downtown anyway, I can think of other places I'd rather go in the metro area.

Downers Grove, Naperville and Elmhurst are great communities but they share one thing in common -- outside of their beautiful downtowns, they're very subdivision-esque, and not necessarily a great value for what you get because people will overpay for the address. The price of entry increases in very rapid correlation the closer you want to get to downtown. So, I don't know, maybe people just figure that if they're going to do the subdivision thing, they may as well do it cheaper elsewhere?

[ManheimMadman]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

I think that Naperville has come to symbolize something utterly suburban. It's sort of the default upper-middle class suburb. Somehow it's more palatable for many younger families to live in a lesser-known suburb for, even though Naperville has better schools and a nicer downtown than most. But there's also the idea that Naperville doesn't offer anything particularly unique, and the same ammenities can be found elsewhere for less money.

This is why I think the parts of Oswego and Plainfield nearest to Naperville became hugely populated. They're even building a "The Polo Club" mall with a Von Maur on the corners of 59 and 119th. So yeah- apparently that prosperity bubbles over. That part of plainfield seems to be an extension of South Naperville anyways.

[ManheimMadman]

Oh, and the nightlife is pretty cool in downtown Naperville and is pretty good, imho. It's a little too trendy for me, but I found that places like Quigley's and The Lantern are bearable, although not enough "dive" for me.

[cubssoxfan]

Oh yeah Naperville's the best and St. Charles, Arlington Heights, Glen Ellyn, Crystal Lake and all the other "nice" burbs are crap. Aurora?? 100 best in USA? Are you kidding me? It's OK ,but top 100?!Take these rankings with a big grain of Kosher salt. A huge grain. Naperville is decent, but 3rd best? And what happened to Madison, WI in one year to plummet it from top ten (#1?) to 50 something? They can't handle a "throwback" winter? These are great starting points, but there are other choices that many would find even nicer than the cities that make the list. This makes it easy for newbies to relocate, quickly without researching and really digging into an area. And that's cool. But it is not the"Bible" of best towns as many think it is, just something for us to blog about and to sell magazines and maybe learn a little something about what makes a place appealing.

[fairmarketvalue]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

Oh yeah Naperville's the best and St. Charles, Arlington Heights, Glen Ellyn, Crystal Lake and all the other "nice" burbs are crap. Aurora?? 100 best in USA? Are you kidding me? It's OK ,but top 100?!Take these rankings with a big grain of Kosher salt. A huge grain. Naperville is decent, but 3rd best? And what happened to Madison, WI in one year to plummet it from top ten (#1?) to 50 something? They can't handle a "throwback" winter? These are great starting points, but there are other choices that many would find even nicer than the cities that make the list. This makes it easy for newbies to relocate, quickly without researching and really digging into an area. And that's cool. But it is not the"Bible" of best towns as many think it is, just something for us to blog about and to sell magazines and maybe learn a little something about what makes a place appealing.

Agreed. Naperville is highly over rated, if it got the #3 spot! I realize it's an overall rating, but there are many, many suburbs just as properous, better schools (look at the #'s even money mag. reported) and there were many that didn't even make the top 10 that had better #'s where schools, inclome, etc. were concerned. And Naperville expensive? While I see that near the "original Naperville" and downtown, there are much more expensive suburbs out there, not on the North Shore. This includes Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, Downers Grove, St. Charles, etc... I am pretty sure Glen Ellyn and Wheaton both have better school systems and ratings, blah, blah, blah, than Naperville 203 and 204 is no contest!!! Seems to me Money magazine is basing their findings to modern ammenities such as shopping, affordable housing (in the far outer parts of "naperville") and did not consider much else. Also, some parts are far, far away and if you go that far, then agreed, Plainfield might as well be your choice. Plainfield, when smaller, had one of the best school systems in Illinois. I know it has lost it's standing with the explosion of population and building of schools but it's the same for the southern part of Naperville. Don't read too much into Money magazine's findings. Over rated is putting it mildly! Take it with a "HUGE grain of salt" is dead on!